Video: Flood sweeps Fangshan district in Beijing, China (update)

Beijing
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Heavy rain, recorded at 46 centimeters (18 inches), fell on Beicheying Village in Fangshan District, Beijing last Saturday. Questions are raised as to officials' response to the disaster.

Digital Journal reported on the heavy rains which fell in China on July 22, killing at least ten people.

Now a video has been released (above) of the flooding in Beicheying Village, located in Beijing's Fangshan District on Saturday, when China's capital experienced its heaviest rains in six decades.

At least 37 people have died in Beijing city, and an unknown number of persons have perished in the Fangshan District.

The torrential rain caused the evacuation of over 50,000 people from Beijing, mostly from the city’s outlying mountainous regions.

Media in China quotes a villager of Beicheying Village saying, "The deluge became waist-high that night."

Apparently for farmers in the region, there is little hope for a harvest due to the flooding.

Pre-fabricated houses have been set up in the village, and locals have been provided with daily necessities.

Digital Journal mentioned in their article that there were questions raised as to the way the disaster was handled by local officials. In the wake of the flooding, there is now intense scrutiny as to its causes, and whether or not officials did enough to minimize the dangers of the flooding.

The Global Times is reporting that there is public fury over a charity fund, launched by the Beijing Municipal Government on Monday night to aid storm victims. Critics insist that the move is a way to cover up major failings in the infrastructure of the city, which only served to contribute to the severity of the damage caused by the storms.

Su Meng, 25, a resident of Chaoyang district, said, "It seems the government is using the fund to divert the public's attention from questioning its responsibility about the destruction."

On Wednesday, according to local state media in China, Beijing's mayor and a vice-mayor resigned.

Update: Media reports have updated the number of dead from the flooding to 77. Five of the people dead were local officials who died while helping disaster relief and rescue efforts, according to the Chinese government.